Scripture: Luke 9:61-62
Someone else said to Jesus, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say good-bye to those in my house.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand on the plow and looks back is fit for God’s kingdom.”
Thought for the Day: This is the end of today’s sermon text. Maybe you instantly understood what Jesus meant by putting a hand to the plow and not looking back. For the longest time, I kind of ignored these verses because I wasn’t exactly sure what they meant. And then I remembered back to a time when I was coaching kids soccer, and it was my week to layout the chalk lines for the field. Keeping a straight line was difficult enough as I pushed that little two wheel chalk dispenser over some not so flat ground. But whenever I looked back to see how I had done, I instantly got way off and would have to stop, erase the messed up section by kicking the chalk, and then start back over. The only thing that allowed me to come close to a straight line was keeping my eye upon the flag that we had put in the ground at the corner of the field. Whenever we take our eyes off Jesus and look back at our life and all the stuff of the past, we can almost guarantee we will begin to wander off course. It’s hard not to look back, but the life of faith should not be spent dwelling on what happened, but looking to the life of Jesus and dreaming with him in regard to what could be.
Prayer: Lead me, guide me, O Lord. Allow for my eyes and my heart to be ever focused upon you and your love enfleshed in Jesus. Make me a disciples, a follower in the ways of love, mercy and kindness. Amen.
TODAY’S SERMON
Painful Excuses
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